₦airaland Forum

Meanwhile, Hitech's construction of the lekki-epe expressway remains a study in how NOT to build a road. Poor design and inexcusable delays compounded by shockingly poor traffic management by LASTMA. And the LASG remains indifferent.

Some good has been done by the Fashola administration. But it has failed to deliver on several other fronts - the lekki-epe expressway is a clear example. The adulation by his supporters is not helping matters.

Speak truth to power.

Gaggi: My sympathies.

Again, it is impossible to see soldiers, police and man'o'war in a joint task force. It is an insult to the military. You won't even find a police and soldier task force except the JTF. We all know that JTF is a serious task force that wouldn't resort to such petty things.

Sir, you write as if the Nigerian military is some elite group of dedicated men prepared to give their all for flag and country. This is an illusion. There is nothing special about the Nigerian military. Nothing whatsoever. Both the rank & file and the officer corps are largely unprofessional and VERY undisciplined with no regard for the law where civilians are concerned. They are poorly trained and embody the worst stereotypes about soldiers being nothing but psychotic thugs given a rifle and a uniform after basic training and told by commanding officers to 'quench' civilians at the slightest provocation.

They have been indoctrinated to think they are a class apart whereas nothing could be further from the truth. And i say this based on over 2 decades of dealing with these people. Nigerians had better reconsider the so-called advantages of a standing army in peace time - an army which has been nothing but a drain on the public treasury for far too long.

We are waiting for the response of the authorities to the allegations made by miss njemanze. But with what I have seen of the Nigerian military, that would be asking for too much.

"Waiting" is the way to go. It really is.

You don't have to worry about unwanted pregnancy, STIs, etc.

And then there's the emotional cost (particularly for females) of a failed relationship. A broken (non-sexual) relationship can be incredibly hard to get over, not to talk of an sexual one.

If you wait, you'll save yourself a lot of heartache.

US-AutoBuy:
Don't make a mistake of comparing apples and oranges. The QX and Pathy are all REAR WHEEL DRIVE!

^^^^This isn't always true. QX4s and some Pathfinders are 4wd.

I generally avoid threads on religion because of the intense feelings that come with posts on such threads. But i will make an exception here.


I last heard Alhaji Adegbite speak at a public function late last year. It was clear he was getting on in years but he still attended the event to discuss public policy with other Nigerians.


I must state here that I am not a supporter of some of the views Alhaji Adegbite held while he was alive. The majority of posts here on this thread have been charitable (which is not a bad thing) but in my view a sense of balance or proportion on the life and times of the deceased is lacking. And it is only fair that we put these things in proper perspective.


An example will suffice. Some of us still remember the so-called "Miss World" riots of 2002 and the fatalities from those riots. We still remember the "fatwa" imposed by a Nigerian politician/Islamic cleric? on a journalist with Thisday newspapers for comments she made in an article allegedly blaspheming Prophet Muhammad. The violence and deaths from those riots (clearly instigated by Islamic preachers in Abuja) should have drawn strong, unequivocal condemnation from Nigeria's Islamic clerics. This did not happen. Instead, Alhaji Adegbite (and others) indirectly made excuses for the perpetrators of the violence. To this day, i am not aware of the prosecution and conviction of those responsible. If anyone has information which proves otherwise, kindly let me know.


Alhaji Adegbite was also remarkably consistent in his description of Nigeria as a multi-religious society rather than a secular one - a distinction he repeatedly made at every opportunity. However, there is nothing to show that this distinction was being made for the common good and not for more sinister reasons. At the heart of Nigeria's problems with religious fundamentalism is the conflict between religious law and Nigeria's constitutional law. The ability of an Islamic cleric to arbitrarily impose a death sentence (without recourse to Nigerian law courts) on a fellow Nigerian (and a non-muslim at that) embodies this struggle for supremacy between muslim law and Nigerian law. And this test of wills will remain a recurring decimal in Nigeria's political equation. It is not going to go away.


In my view, Alhaji Adegbite's constant references to the multi-religious nature of Nigeria were for one reason only: to challenge the primacy of Nigerian constitutional law and subtly present Islamic religious law as a competing alternative with full jurisdiction over the lives of ALL Nigerians. In my book, this places him in the same league as the late Sheik Abubakar Gumi and Dr Datti Ahmad whose views are well known to those who have been following Nigeria's turbulent religious politics for a while.


I expected more from him.

The reference in the report to US independence day holidays on July 4th is puzzling. We are in September and it will be October in about a week's time. I don't know if I am missing something here?

Siena: Much depends on how well the flush is done. My take is, if an auto tranny hasn't had a fluid and filter change in over 80,000 miles, leave it well alone. There will be deposits, which are benign. Once you dislodge them, they drop down into the oil pan, are sucket up into the fine passages in the valve body. The result? A dead tranny, that won't start from first and second, so stuck in third.

^^^^Thanks. I've covered 92,000km. I can't vouch for the expertise of the mechanics who handle this sort of thing at my end. My only issue now is if i decide not to change anything, then what happens a few years from now when the ATF is fully degraded and the filter is fully clogged - total transmission failure? I intend to keep the car for at least 3 more years. A new transmission will not be cheap so i'm walking a fine line here.


OP - will submit my expense profile ASAP

Siena: If the engine's already on the way out, changing the oil so frequently won't help, it's just wasting money. It's actually more beneficial in such cases, to leave the oil in as long as possible, so it gets thick and black. A knocking engine will be quieter with dirty, thick oil. Many knocking engine have lasted over 6,000 miles with careful driving, and simply topping up the oil. And many of these worn engines have expired immediately after an oil change, smashing rods through the block.[/color]

^^^^Interesting. I've also heard stories about auto sub-systems similar to the above (about leaving old oil in dying engines alone). I've heard about old radiators which work well for years until you decide to flush and refill with fresh coolant/water, after which they suddenly develop leaks and you end up with a dry radiator and an overheated car. I have a related dilemma at the moment - my 4 year old RAV4's ATF has never been drained and the filter has never been changed either (to this day, the dealer still doesn't know if the transmission even has a filter ). Not sure what the outcome will be if I drain/flush the ATF and change the filter - even smoother shifting or an open can of gearbox worms?

1025: whatever you fear in life will become a threat to ur life. nigerians are afraid to die so death has become our portion. we die like chicken on daily basis. those animals we call rulers know too well that we are not ready to die otherwise, they won't be treating us n=like animals.
just a couple of days back, jonathan released 155 pages of his achievements. his wife is in germany and ppl are dying in hundreds on road accidents. no fuel in lagos and abuja. no one is talking about security any more then one will be forced to ask, where is the 155 pages if our first lady finds no hospital worthy of handling a stomach problem?
it is a shame that we all know that those in power are vampires who live on our bloods and we sit down and watch them kill us one after the other.
Proverbs 29 : 2 explains the situation in nigeria.

^^^^ It is a pity that you, monkeyleg, okadaman and some others do not post as frequently as you used to on these boards. Nigerians do not want to hear the truth. But we will hear it "by fire by force", as they say. I will carry out my own investigations to find out more about this motor accident but sadly, it seems the template is the same for the majority of Nigeria's RTAs (road traffic accidents) - faulty vehicles and driver error, compounded by awful roads.

I will NEVER, EVER get tired of saying it. When will Nigerians stand up for themselves, for God's sake? When? We refuse (time and time again) to demand accountability from our leaders and then we grumble when we pay for it (time and time again) in blood and tears. And since we are not prepared to ACT, we will continue to pay!

For me, the carnage on Nigeria's slaughter slabs (which in our ignorance, we call "roads" ) will always remain a campaign issue. I will NEVER, EVER give my vote to a power elite that has demonstrated nothing but deep contempt for me and millions of other Nigerians that this morally bankrupt elite purports to serve. Why should I? And why should other Nigerians too?

What kind of people tolerate governments which cannot build roads? Roads have been on earth since Roman times. The technology for making these roads has improved considerably since then. There is absolutely no reason why Nigerians should die while swerving to avoid potholes on roads built with taxpayers money. But we die this way because we are cowards who do not have the guts to ask the right questions and DEMAND answers.

What kind of people tolerate governments which freely allow borderline psychotic drivers in poorly maintained vehicles to pose a threat to the lives of thousands of others? What kind of people tolerate governments which see MoT certificates as revenue generation schemes and nothing more? Only Nigerians. We tolerate this because we are weak, spineless and easily distracted. We have no standards.

What kind of people tolerate governments which freely allow thousands of people to trade, loiter, eat, worship, live, lounge, gossip and generally mill about right at the edge of an "expressway" with motor vehicles hurtling past at speeds over 100km/h? Only Nigerians.

What kind of people tolerate governments which allow HGV drivers to drive with unsecured/unlatched containers? Only Nigerians.

What kind of people tolerate governments which leave the wreckage of RTA vehicles to rot for years on the highways without considering the hazard posed to road users? Only Nigerians.


I'm sick and tired of our helpless, endless griping - online, in the print newsmedia, at the local beer parlour, in our homes, etc. We biitch and complain and then recycle the same old reprobates come election season. And then we complain some more. Even donkeys have a better sense of self preservation.

One more thing. A lot of posters have called the name of God and asked that He grant the souls of the dead eternal rest. I agree. But please note:

God will not come down from heaven to remove the inebriated driver sitting at the wheel of your vehicle.
God will not come down from heaven to strap on your seatbelt.
God will not come down from heaven to read the highway code on your behalf.
God will not come down from heaven to replace your bald tyres with roadworthy ones.
God will not come down from heaven to inspect and certify your vehicle.
God will not come down from heaven to fill potholes and fix roads.

Above all, God will not come down from heaven to help you choose governments that even consider these things to be important. You will have to do that all by yourself.

megadeath: My good friend, wouldnt I look like an idiet if i was involved in an auto crash that was obviously my fault and I come out of it refusing to apologise or pay for damages? The truth is that most Nigerians ......like this ignoramus excondido are stereotyped when it comes to matters concerning the Army. Just last week, my colleague hit a civilian's vehicle. He immediately apologised and offered to pay for the damages. That is exactly what the greater number of us will do. I say again that we are aware of the bad eggs in our midst. Having a totally civilian friendly Army isn't going to be a day's job. Secondly, i do believe that in generalising about the entire NA, a degree of respect should be cultivated. The average soldier loves his country and goes to extreme lengths to prove it. Visit Maiduguri and see what I mean.

^^^^About 3 years ago, a soldier in army uniform drove recklessly on Adetokunbo Ademola Street in V/I's early morning traffic, causing slight damage to my vehicle. He sped off. I followed and caught up with him on Ahmadu Bello Way, forcing him to stop and step out of his van. I came out of my vehicle and challenged him. He dared me to do my worst, got into his van and sped off once again. The chase continued up to Bonny Camp. Unfortunately,I lost him in traffic. I drove into Bonny camp and lodged a complaint but I knew it was over. The soldiers on duty inside Bonny Camp made some sympathetic noises but the matter died there and then.

The above was MY personal experience. Not anybody else's. I have also been a witness to several other examples of military madness - military personnel refusing to pay transport fares because they are "staff" (whatever that means), military personnel violently harassing motorists for slowing down in heavy traffic (on a public road!) in front of military establishments (so-called military zones ), military personnel engaged in extortion on the highways,etc. The list is endless.

I don't know you sir, but your quote about "cultivating a degree of respect in generalising about the NA" says it all. Respect, sir ? I have not yet had any interraction (of any kind!) with any Nigerian military personnel in which they (to the last man) do not display a sense of entitlement which beggars belief. This can be traced in part to the warped indoctrination which takes place in Nigeria's barracks, military secondary schools, the NDA, etc. Upon close scrutiny, one begins to wonder what justifies the arrogance. South Korean generals seized power in the first half? of the last century and put their country on the path to industrialization. The rules were clear: any South Korean steel plant which didn't measure up to expectation was destroyed with military ordinance. We can all see what South Korea has become today. Nigerian generals on the other hand, are better known for their bacchanalian excesses with alcohol, pepper soup and women of easy virtue. Is it any surprise that Ajaokuta has become a museum piece today?

I'll say this anywhere, anytime. I have gained nothing from the Nigerian military. Nothing whatsoever.

ORAFA: I can see u dont have any contribution. I really didnt write my post so I could win accolades, I did to share my view. So howeva u see it, good or bad, its ur kettle of fish. NEVER u say u gave d military d power to operate. U were never in d exam hall assisting, u were not d drill instructor, u didnt create the army, u didnt donate any material to the army, lastly, d army is not ur private organisation. And, if u think our mode of OPS doesnt suit u, make a change(if u ever can). The ends justifies the means..... I feel so ashamed seeing people say the army isnt protecting them. For heaven's sake thats STARCK ILLITERACY! Hw long can Nigeria remain whole if military protection is withdrawn? If the army was as bad as some of u claim, I think there wuldnt be a single civilian on d streets, not to talk of those who sell in the barracks. There wuldnt be democracy either. Lets try to judge issues based on facts and not assumption. @OP, hw did u knw the boys called GOC? And for d fella who wants to knw my age, am a proud 21yr old who has more brains than u. FYI, am a final student too so dnt call me a tout..... I hope dat makes u fat.

^^^While not holding brief for the fellow your post was directed at, my first reaction was to spit fire at you until I saw what you stated as your age.

You are young. That's a 'problem' that time can cure...

Some of us are missing the point.

If truck drivers have become a law unto themselves, then the government has a responsibility to call them to order. And if the government fails to do this, then it should pay for this at the polls. Soldiers taking the law into their own hands will NEVER be a solution. Never.

It is a pity that Nigerians have de-linked the quality of the governments they elect from the quality of their own day to day living. We elect inept governments and feign surprise when the country sinks deeper and deeper into the mire. If after so many years of lawless behaviour the federal government and the LASG cannot break the back of errant tanker drivers (so that our roads can be sane again), then of what use are these tiers of government?

There are so many things wrong with us on so many levels. So many.

Yet another example (if the news report is true) of how Nigeria's military personnel continue to disgrace the uniform. Time and time again.

Cases like these are the expected outcomes of decades of military rule and a perverse sense of entitlement, fostered and encouraged in the military academies and the barracks.

Nigerians need to make up their minds on the kind of society they want. Despite the senselessness of these recurring attacks by soldiers on civilians, there is always some sociopath somewhere on these NL boards excusing their actions.

The choice is ours. We can either end up with a society run by laws or we end up with a jungle in which the animals with the biggest tusks always win.

oakwoodpark: I quite agree with you. Though no one prays for this, i hope all the other ladies when faced with this kind of situation will rather choose Life that virginity.
Only a very few things are worth loosing ones life for, and this is not one of them.
May her soul rest in peace and may those that undertook this act die a thousand deaths

Sir, I will concede that there may be more to this story than we know at the moment. We await further details.

But it isn't your place to say that resisting rape is 'not one of those things worth loosing life for'. It isn't your place to say that at all.

Do your research on rape and you may just be able to get a small, tiny glimpse into the pain and sorrow it causes its victims. There is no violation more painful and destructive than the violation of a woman's body.

Some women are simply not prepared to live with the aftermath and so they resist. Isn't that the expected reaction? Why should that choice be criticised? If all women had a choice in the matter, which woman would consent to r@pe?

Esss: Actually, that was my first thought!! Why not just let them fhuck you and immediately they leave, dash off to the hospital after taking certain first aid measures..

Is that dignity really worth losing ones life over?! She was 21 for bleeps sakes.. Like was it really worth her life in the end?!

i would rather have my r@pe victim daughter alive than a dead virgin daughter..

Im sorry, but I dont think that the niggas post was rubbish at all.. He made a valid point.

Infact, I have heard several women advice girls in such situations to remove their minds and allow their assailants r@pe them.

^^^This is nonsense.

flanrey: Its quite an unfortunate incident and I do pray that her soul rests In peace.

A lot of you that have commented on this thread got it all wrong. I want to believe everyone on here are adults with matured mentality. During my university days I got robbed a couple of times with guns pointed to my head, at that moment I complied with whatever was requested of me, my golds, fones and other valuable properties....
Why did I do that?
Because I believe that the gift of life is the greatest gift you can ever have. FYI, u only live once! There is no condition that doesn't get better with time. Even the bible said that weeping may continue thru the night but joy comes in the morning.

The report never said she was a virgin, and even if she was do you think it is easy to disvirgin a girl Those of you who have done it in the past will know that it is not an easy task and the thieves in question do not have that time. What the thieves probably wanted was a quickie and she could've just succumbed.

^^^There is a lot wrong with you sir. You talk about living only once and how there is no condition that time doesn't cure but I can tell you sir - your 'problem' could not be 'cured' even if you became immortal.

Re-read the junk you typed in your two posts on this thread and tell me if any of it makes sense.

I think the lady in question left the UK without settling the bill. Saw some press reports last week about some UK government official railing against those who abuse the NHS and this lady's case came up.

One scandal after the other.

Halliburton. Siemens. National Identity Card Project. James Onanefe Ibori. The list keeps getting longer and longer by the minute. And Nigerians have not demanded that someone be held to account for this nonsense?

We are a spineless people with no guts or conviction to fight for what's right to THE END. No ideals. No noble creed. No integrity. Nothing.

Foreign law courts, systems and institutions keep on doing the hard work for us? Have we no shame? What the hell is wrong with us?

berem: I won't waste my bandwidth doing that! I never knew someone like dat existed maybe because she was only known in the north.ransome kuti and margaret ekpo yeah I know their history very well but sawaba? Am just hearing that name.I guess many nigerians as well don't know her that much.

^^^^waste your bandwith doing what exactly?

afam4eva: I can understand Fumilayo Kuti and Margret Ekpo. Who's that Northerner. I've never heard of her in mind. These northerners must think the whole country revolves around them.

Your comments above will just invite unecessary controversy - read up about the woman and learn something. A google search will reveal a lot about Gambo Sawaba. For example, the 'Gambo Sawaba Story' is available in pdf online. If that is too flattering, there are other online articles about her which you may find more balanced.

There are several posters on these boards I have learnt from over the years. I have marvelled at their persuasive, articulate, well reasoned arguments on nearly every issue under the sun. The majority of these posters are fairly decent people who want a Nigeria that WORKS.

Unfortunately for them, the battle for the soul of Nigeria will not be won by fiery rhetoric on the world wide web.

No.

It will be won in the streets.
It will be won in the town hall meetings.
It will be won in the churches, mosques and shrines.


It will be won in Nigeria's villages and her urban ghettos, where millions of souls (who do not know what a computer looks like) eke out a miserable existence, selling their votes for peanuts every election year.

Sir/Madam, drop your laptop for a while and engage your fellow Nigerians. The REAL ones. Ask them if they are truly better after 12 years of a PDP-led executive and a PDP-controlled legislature? And if they are not, what will they do, come 2015 (assuming Nigeria still exists and/or a national conference is not called before then?)

Make the case for a change and make it as persuasively as you argue here on nairaland. Challenge them with the facts. Tailor your argument to your audience but make your point as precisely as possible.

Get involved!!

In war (and Nigeria IS at war with itself on several fronts, believe it or not), truth is the first casualty.

It is true that Boko Haram has sympathizers in the general population in borno and yobe. There is no question about that. However, it is very wicked to claim that all those who have died in Borno and Yobe are either Boko Haram members or sympathizers. How can this be true, given what we know about the Nigerian military?

It is evil to justify the killing of innocents (and the army IS killing innocents in Yobe and Borno, make no mistake about it). Those who are rejoicing here should remember that it could be their communities caught in the crossfire tomorow. And there will be no one to speak for them then.

So many posters are on here defending the brutality visited upon a citizen of the Republic by Nigerian soldiers.

These posters have forotten that it is their taxes which pay for the guns and the uniforms worn by these goons. Guns and uniforms which these thugs misuse at every opportunity.


Perhaps some Nigerians have a secret psychosexual desire to be dominated and debased by authority figures in uniform. That can be the only explanation for some of the comments here.

OP,



Nice one!

OP,

A single spare wheel is adequate. The following items may be useful. You do not have to get them all at once. They are not too expensive and could save you a great deal of time and trouble later on.

Tyre pressure gauge
Tool kit (spanners, screw drivers, fuses, bulbs etc)
Suction pipe/hose (in the event you run out of fuel or you need to transfer fuel for any reason)
Battery jump cables
10 or 15 litre keg
Portable pump/air compressor
Reflective vest

Don't forget the usual suspects - fire extinguisher, caution sign, jack & winder, etc. Law enforcement people can make your life hell if they stop you and you don't have any of these items in the vehicle. Good luck with your car.

kingoflag: Dude, Maryland, DC, Cali..... Corrruption, Life Term-disguised-as-single-term tenure, Refusal To declare assets..... All the same shiyyyt!!!!

While I enjoy reading your posts most times, sometimes you make me marvel and leave me aghast.

Corruption is an issue in most reasonable countries? And Nigerian corruption is subtle compared to "other places"?! By other Places I will assume you mean countries like France and United Kingdom or the United States and not Equatorial Guinea, Chad or Central African Republic.

Dude, like I said, if the spate at which Billions of Dollars go missing without anyone being punished was to occur in this country, not only would you currently be sitting in the dark or have you neighbor's Generators blaring in your ears and rattling your bones, I'm pretty sure your parents wouldn't have raised you here and they would have sought out better climes.

Nigeria is being killed with endemic and chronic corruption starting from the man in Charge. NOTHING WILL WORK IN SUCH AN ENVIRONMENT. Its simple, its called: MULTIPLIER EFFECT.[/b]You can have all the electricity you want, everything still comes to nil when people commit both major and minor crimes and are allowed to go scot free. Y'all can hope all you want, but I bet you, you will all eat your words really soon (except the paid sycophants and the tribal warriors of course).

Anyways, like I've been screaming for months, do not be fooled, GEJ knows what he is doing. He's carrying on where OBJ failed. You will eventually get a semblance of "stable electricity", that has never been in doubt. But when an incompetent, divisive and utterly corrupt man--- fully aware his short comings--- decides (3weeks after becoming President) that he'd rather be there for life, --- and people (too blind to see) egg him on just because of Electricity--- I can only shake my head and wonder at the mentality of the followers. Nowhere thrives with the kind of lawlessness and corruption that abounds in Nigeria: [b]NOWHERE! They said the same thing about the advent of GSM/Telecommunications... "Telephones will improve the economy. Give us phones and we don't care about corruption". Isn't the basket still being tried to be filled up with water? Keep running around in circles hoping to one day reach your destination; no matter how you fast you run, the starting and the finish line will always remain the same.

Well, time will tell. Lets keep watching the show.

SMH

Tell them please. This thread has made me much angrier than i have been for a long time. I don't even know why I bother - Nigerians continue to prove time and again that they do not even know what's right or good for them. The so- called lower animals have a better sense of self-preservation (and I make no apologies for saying that). I expected certain responses on this thread from those who have been paid to do a job here, and they didn't disappoint - no surprises there. The real shame is the set of posts from Nigerians who should know better.

GEJ belongs to the PDP. That party has failed Nigerians (particularly at the federal level) and we all know it. OBJ refused to appoint a minister of petroleum for years. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. OBJ and his fellow PDP goons in the legislature stalled the FOI bill for almost 10 years. He eventually refused to assent to the bill on the grounds of 'national security'. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. The OBJ administration spent billions of dollars on phantom electricity projects and we are still talking about a national grid with less than 4,000 megawatts. Why? The answer is blowing in the wind. The PDP led lower house set up a so-called probe panel to find out why Nigerians do not have electricity. Where is the report of the panel? How did that panel end up?

I guess we should not be surprised at the rudderlessness of the OBJ years. Given how dysfunctional the man's own private life is (remember the sordid allegations by his own son, no less), how could we expect better?


Lets roll on to the UMYA years. UMYA rode into power on the back of a PDP-inspired fraud which Nigerians foolishly agreed to call a free and fair election, despite clear evidence to the contrary. The man admitted the elections were flawed and pledged to do something about it. A panel headed by a former CJN was set up and it delivered its report. This panel made several common sense recommendations including full independence of the electoral commission (I'm not sure if the panel recommended funding the electoral commission with a first line charge from the federation account. More on that later.) UMYA then showed that he was cut from the same cloth as his predecessor and promptly discarded the most important provisions of the Uwais report. The drift and the lethargy that came to define the UMYA administration then moved into first gear and continued to the very end. We are all witnesses to how the UMYA administration ended in a web of lies and deceit - in my lifetime I have seen few things more shameful than when Nigeria's senate president and other public officials travelled (at taxpayers expense) to Saudi Arabia to visit the ailing UMYA only to be told that 'Your president is not here. Go back to where you are coming from'. How much lower can a country sink?


Fast forward to the GEJ administration. Ordinary Nigerians fought to make sure the Nigerian constitution was followed to the letter - these Nigerians braved diverse threats to make sure power was transferred to GEJ after UMYA's death as required by the constitution. Against all advice from those who know the character of the man and his political party, Nigerians voted for GEJ's PDP in the 2011 elections. And how has he repaid them? By running a bloated government with a committee (funded at taxpayers expense) for every single problem? By removing energy subsidies and turning a blind eye to the most egregious abuse of office by oil and gas public sector officials (in collaboration with their private sector friends)?

As I said in a previous post, GEJ fought long and hard to avoid a public asset declaration as UMYA's VP. That was a red flag for those smart enough to see it. In his recent 'presidential' media chat, he told Nigerians he did not give a damn about their views on public asset declaration. (UMYA, despite his many faults, deserves some credit for HIS public asset declaration). My question is this: Why is it that the only time GEJ shows he has fire in his belly is when he is attempting to resist legitimate public scrutiny of his net worth? Goddamnit why?


Time and space will not permit me to go into the many crimes of the PDP-led national assembly. My other question is this: How can one party throw up so many rogues and knaves? How? Nigerians should open their eyes and ears. GEJ cannot rise above the muck that is his party. Our destiny is in our hands. Vote for the PDP and you have signed your death warrant.

The choice is yours.

This thread is depressing. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Nigeria is not a nation of doers but rather, a nation of talkers.

Despite the mountain of hard evidence (of colossal incompetence and corruption) before us all, some of us (who should know better! ), are actually contemplating 4 more years of the PDP. Where is your sense of outrage? Where are your standards? Do we just come to these boards to post essays about state and government failure and it ends there? Are we posting on these boards just for the sake of doing so?

I was in secondary school in the 1980s when civics was withdrawn from the school curriculum. One part of me believes that this decision by the authorities was a deliberately cynical one with pre-determined objectives. Instead of breeding a generation of citizens with a basic understanding of their rights, duties and responsibilities to one another and to the state, the 'powers that were' promoted religious knowledge as a school subject with the disastrous consequences we can see all around us.

The curse of the bigotry of low expectations is hard at work in the minds of so many of us on these boards. Some of us actually have higher expectations of, and demand much more from our infant children than we do of our governments run by adults. What exactly is wrong with us?

We need to build our institutions and hold our leaders accountable to a standard far, far higher than that currently in place. Why is this so hard for us to understand?

I will not vote GEJ if he improves electricity. I personally do not think there will be a significant, sustained improvement in power supply before 2015 (that is if this country is still on the map by then anyway) but even if there is, i still would not vote GEJ. My standards are far, far higher than that.

Some may be offended by my words but the truth must be told. As I have said before, the GEJ administration is a thoroughly compromised one, clearly beholden to all kinds of sinister, dark, shadowy interest groups - groups whose interests and mine are mutually exclusive.

Some of us have long memories. I vividly remember the battle to get GEJ to publicly declare his assets as UMYA's VP. I remember the very strong reservations I had then about a public official who could so vehemently resist an open, public scrutiny of his assets. My worst suspicions have now been confirmed with the events of the past year.

I voted against GEJ's PDP predecessors - the crooked, venal, deceitful OBJ administration and the equally dishonest UMYA regime foisted upon us. And I will also vote against the GEJ administration. Again.

I owe it to myself and my conscience to demand high standards from those who claim they wish to serve me. If other Nigerians do not understand the power and sacredness of their votes, that is their problem.

I don't have guns and I know nothing about coup plotting.

My vote is all I've got. And I will use it wisely to make choices I can defend.

bcomputer101: As far it happy I̶̲̥̅̊n̶̲̥̅̊ North, A̶̲̥̅♏ always happen! I beg help us confirm the number of casualties jor. Stupid Northernanimals!!!

^^^^

This is myopia at its worst. Do not for a second think that you will escape if this boko madness comes to your doorstep.

The headlines should be rephrased. The impression given by the headlines is that the NURTW has been proscribed and this is not the case. They have simply been instructed to toe the line the way its done in sensible countries.

This move is coming several years behind schedule. The NURTW has been out of control for as far back as I can remember. It is still a mystery how and why this lawless band of thugs and robbers in training has remained in charge of Western Nigeria's urban areas for so long.

We will see if the LASG will remain steadfast. We are watching.

Ikenna351: DIY or one knowing how to fix his car is not a big deal. Its called INTEREST. Problem with Nigerians is that they see themselves working on their vehicles as stooping too low. Even the whiteman's world that owns that technology; even the whitemen that used those vehicles for years before they get to our shores intact, were fixing the vehicles themselves. When we start making small money, we start feeling too big to do certain things ourselves, as if we are richer than those that used those vehicles from new and were fixing them theirselves, before they get to us as the 3rd or 5th owners. Check various auto forums online and see how good an average vehicle owner in the whiteman's world is in troubleshooting their vehicles. Am not even close to them, with the little knowledge i have.

Ikenna.

I agree with you. We are actually on the same page here. I have picked up a few things about the basics of how cars work over the years - having gone through a few old school lions (owned by parents, siblings, etc). But anyone who wants to be able to deal with modern cars needs to go beyond old school lion tech. and learn how to troubleshoot codes and work with modern diagnostic tools. Having said that, I agree with you 100% on your excellent point in an earlier post about how many modern technicians get into trouble whenever their scanners can't resolve a problem - they simply have little or no experience with manual troubleshooting. It seems you have both hands-on experience with manual troubleshooting as well as an understanding of how and why things work the way they do on your motor vehicle. We'll be picking your brains on this board. . .